LONDON GATWICK QANTAS A380 LANDS EARLY .

What a wake up call for a Monday 530am. I have not got up that early since retiring. It was like work all over again and indeed it was work. It would have been so easy to say stay in bed, I leave it and not go up to Gatwick, but so glad I did. It was raining and cold and a long walk to the spot where I wanted to be.

I saw SDTV walking past and will no doubt catch the take off later.  They are live today at Gatwick and you can see them here https://www.youtube.com/@SDTVLiveAviation . I will upload a short video later on YouTube, but for the best video watch SDTV. 

Please like follow us as well. Cheerio for now Malcolm Airspotters.com

YEOVILTON WHEN CONCORDE WAS OUTSIDE

This is really for the Yeovilton group but will share with the other groups I belong to as well. 1974 was the time this arrived at Yeovilton. Some say it was the proper start of the museum. I was lucky to go then as today the Concorde is stashed away indoors and hard to photograph. I remember thinking this is not like the British Airways one I have seen on the telly.

It was a prototype of course and would vary a lot to the final Concorde. I have been on G-BSST shown here, G-BBDG and G-XDN (was also outside Duxford at the time) , but have never flown on any at all. My favorite is Brooklands as it is in the BA Red tail livery and still remains outside to this day. None will ever fly again sadly. The one at Brooklands, I was there when they were putting it together again.

They used railway line to support the wings. They were threaded inside the wings. I will have to find my pictures of this as I am sure you will love to see them. Local boy scouts were called in to do a lot of the paint prep work too.

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Malcolm from Airspotters.com

LONDON GATWICK TONIGHT 9TH APRIL 2024

 Twilight is a great time for capturing unique airport photos, with the combination of soft light and the drama of planes landing and taking off.  I did manage to get the China Southern 787 photo I was after? 

I saw a lot of variety with other aircraft coming and going as well. Gatwick is a very busy airport!  There were 3 in a row coming into land at one point. 

I also managed to get a Cathay Pacific out of Heathrow, 

I wish TUI would repaint there 787's. You can still see the Thomson has been blacked out. 

Very lucky to live near Gatwick when you love Aviation like I do. Malcolm

LONDON GATWICK IMPRESSIVE AIRCRAFT 1990'S

 LONDON GATWICK 1990'S : Not sure of the exact date but sure it is mid 1990's. My photo and one that capture the good old days in my book. I want name the aircraft as you the follower's know all that info. However TWA stands for Transcontinental & Western Air which was set up to fly from New York to Los Angeles. 

Of course it then went to Trans World Airlines. The North terminal is open which was 1988. I have so many more photos to share. I had a bit of lucky as we had a bird trapped in the loft. Came in under the eves. I had to clear a lot of boxes out of the way to get to him and in doing so found photos that I had been looking for for years. The young bird is fine and back with his mum, by the way. 

 Northwest DC-10's used to take off and for some reason always kept a very low fly out. Almost as if they were struggling to gain altitude. Very smokey as well some of them were as well. I do love the DC-10 and had a Revell DC-10 kit once in SAS livery. I do think young spotters today have missed out on lots of great aircraft. These days it all very much the same and in my book can be boring. Boeing 707's, 727's, Comets, One Elevens, were planes to watch.

 Wow is all I could say when I found this photo of mine taken in the 1990's . Again different aircraft rather than today's Boring Airbus and Boeing aircraft. Nobody thought they would see LAKER again but they came back for a short time. The 747 is the same one thats appears in the previous photo. I do miss the spectator's area at Gatwick and wished they would do more for spotters and photographers'. Mind you there is only so much Easyjet I can take. Known as the orange airport at times. The church in the background is Lowfield Heath. It was raining then and still is today, somethings never change. Please follow us as we have a big update soon. Not sure when as I am still in the sorting out stage with Peter. However if you love aviation then stay tuned. 

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The heroic actions of Fighter Command's few during the Battle of Britain

 

THE HISTORY The heroic actions of Fighter Command's few during the Battle of Britain are the stuff of legend and it is rather surprising that only one pilot was awarded the Victoria Cross, Britain's highest military award for gallantry in the face of the enemy, during this significant period in British history. Flight Lieutenant James Brindley Nicolson was attacking a large number of Bf 110 fighters above Southampton, when his Hurricane Mk.I (P3576) began taking hits from behind - Messerschmitt Bf 109s flying top cover had surprised the British fighters, which were now in mortal danger. Suffering injury and with his aircraft starting to burn, Nicolson was in the process of bailing out when he noticed one of the Bf 110 destroyers passing right in front of his stricken aircraft. Climbing back into the burning cockpit of his Hurricane, he fired his guns into the Luftwaffe fighter, until the intense heat forced him to jump out of his aircraft. Suffering severe burns to his hands and a number of other wounds, Nicolson managed to parachute to safety and was immediately rushed to Southampton Hospital, by members of the Home Guard. James Nicolson returned to flight operations in September 1941, after recovering from his injuries.

To mark the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain in 2015, the RAF painted one of their Eurofighter Typhoons in the colours of Nicolson's Hurricane, which became one of the stars of the Airshow circuit and a popular release in the Aviation Archive series.

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THIS IS THE MAP I SAID I WOULD PUT ON REF GATWICK SPOTTING

Had loads of request to where I was when I took the photos of the aircraft landing on the windy day. Some by crew actually flying in that day as well. Here it is for you to look at. There are no paths to this point. There was some once but have been allowed to be overgrown and tree branches block the path. You must be carefully and walk on the grass with of course good shoes on, if you have any concerns simply do not try. It easy for me as I been doing this walk for over 50 years.

Once you are there you will see gaps in the hedge and you can look through the fence. You will get Gatwick security inside the airport stop and look at you. I normally wave back and sometimes they do as well. Occasionally police will stop and check you as well from the road that's happened to me twice but again no issue. You on public land and as long as you not trying to cause airport havoc your be fine. DO NOT WALK DOWN TO THE EMERGENCY GATE. It is opposite Binoculars word on the map. This is set up with sensors and they will go off if you get within 2 meters of it. Then you will be in trouble. I was once and was escorted back to my car and it saved me walking back.

LEGAL BIT : I have no authority here and just use my years of knowledge as a photographer and spotter. to advise others who like doing this too. You go there under your own motivation Any injury through falling on the grass/road or traffic incident (it's a busy road) is your own fault and not mine. Follow any instruction or orders by the POLICE or Security give you and do as they say. I seen a few park here on the bend and been rude when spoken too. They lost their car and were probaly charged. The signs are clear no parking even on the verge simply walk from the layby.

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WHEN ITS A BIT WINDY AT LONDON GATWICK

I popped up Gatwick today and was a little bit windy. If you walk past purple parking you can see the aircraft landing by looking through fence.  Purple parking  is near the end of the runway up the charlwood end of the airport and well away from the terminal.

To get here you cannot park you car and have to walk about quarter of a milde to this locations. There is a long layby on the Gatwick road 

The A380 is always a good sight to see but a 747 would be better. 

The map of where I was for these photo's

This one went round after a bumpy landing attempt

Turkish also went round as well 

I was contacted by cabin crew for copies of the photos

And finally one is down